Is he the next Tiger Woods? He could be.

City College golfer Andrew Perez plans to join the Professional Golfers Association after his first year at City College.

“I want to play at the professional level,” Perez said. “It takes a lot of dedication to play on the PGA, but I feel if I work hard I can definitely get there,” he added

Perez won a CIF Southern Section title at Santa Barbara High School last year. He has shot as low as 63 strokes, sunk three hole-in-one’s in his career, and has a hefty CIF ring resting on his finger.

Recently he added a few major college tournament titles to his long list of accomplishments.

Perez debuted his college career by shooting an astounding 6-under 66-a course record at Rio Bravo Country Club-when he won the individual title at the Bakersfield Invitational in early February.

“It takes talent and work ethic to get to the next level,” said Vaquero golf coach Chuck Melendez, adding, “He’s got what it takes.”

Perez approaches each round of golf with a competitive attitude and a desire to improve his game, Melendez explained.

The Santa Barbara local first picked up a club at age 7, and has been swinging ever since.

“I played other sports too, but I just love the game of golf,” Perez said.

Tiger Woods was a known prodigy at age 3. When the comparisons were made between the golf icon and the rising City College star, Perez modestly explained that he wasn’t a great golfer early on.

His hard work on the course throughout high school helped him emerge as a rising talent.

“I still feel I need to improve parts of my game to play at the pro level,” Perez said. “Putting is my strongest asset, but to play on the PGA you have to be good at everything.”

He is constantly working to improve. He explained that it’s going to take about a year until he can officially join the PGA.

Until then, he plans to spend some time in the sand bunker-working on his chipping and developing his short game to make him an all-around threat on the course.

Perez added firepower to the Vaquero line-up this year, making the golf-team virtually unbeatable up to this point in the season. The Vaqs currently hold a 79-2 record.

“He’s the best golfer in the league,” Coach Melendez said. “He makes us a tough team to beat,” he added.

The standout has been consistently shooting under 70 all season long. These types of numbers can make a sponsor’s jaw drop. Perez is looking to get sponsored by Taylor Made after his college career.

“I like playing here at SBCC. I just want to make the team better,” Perez said.

Perez and teammate Matt Siporin have been a dynamic tandem throughout the season. Heading into conference play this week, the Vaqueros and their “two-headed monster” are the team to beat in the Western State Conference.

The Vaqueros hope to win their league and earn a bid to the California final four in May.

“If we make it to the state final four, it’s because of Andrew,” Coach Melendez said.

Perez’s gifted swing, hard-nosed effort and desire to improve have him dreaming big for the future. Don’t be surprised if you see this City College student playing at Pebble Beach or Augusta in the near future.